early heat wave still destructive now

[Rhino]

Ma nature did a number on the syrup season, now she has her sights set on the apple/fruit tree orchards. In central Wisconsin the blossums are set ( a month early) and now we are getting the freezeing nights, not good. This whole week is supposed to have cold nights. My 5 apple trees are close to blossum stage, but my 4 plum trees are in full bloom so i think no plums this year. Some areas this morning hit low to mid 20's. Can't win.

[red maples]

we are OK here I hope. Hot as a mother but trees are doing OK. no Blossoms yet here anyway. Lots of leaves coming out and many many many seeds on the reds wow!!! but It looks like a few trees got zapped when the buds out in full then they dropped (reds that is ) and then then the freezes started again. They are re-budding them selves 1/2 the tree has baby leaves and 1/2 the tree has new buds popping out crazy!!! Hope we don't get anymore hard freezes here as things are moveing along very quickly with the heat!!! NERVOUS!!!

[maple flats]

We saved ours by wrapping them with a floating row cover and placed a 120 watt flood light inside. The coldest night was 19 degrees and the blossoms look good. When we were in the commercial strawberry business we used irrigation. Turn it on at 35 degrees F, and don't shut it off until the ice melts. We tried this with 2 pear trees the night it dropped to 19 F, didn't work, the sprinkler froze in one position and we lost everything. Try the row cover approach, it works. We also grow a small bed of strawberries and we covered them with 3 layers of row cover. That also worked this year.

[KenWP]

Even my cherry trees have blossums already and it allways freezes in May around here.I have one fruit tree that has budded early twice before and then go froze and it took until the middle of June for it to rebud so it dosn't grow as well as it should. Supposed to fruit in the 5th year after planting but I bet it will take 10 years to ever blossum.